A Question
by jellybeansprout
Summary: Hibari seems a bit nicer to I-pin than to anyone else. Tsuna wants to know why. The result is unexpected. Mild 1827. Takes place first season.


Old, old, old. Takes place in first season after the Valentine's Day affair.

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**A Question** by _ficklepickles_

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"Hibari-san!" Tsuna called out suddenly, chasing after him. They had cleared a few blocks from school and Tsuna was running out of breath.

The older teen finally stopped and turned around to face him.

Tsuna looked around, seeing that no one had followed him and he was quite a bit away from home. Then he paled, realizing what he'd just done. It had been just a reaction. His inquisitiveness had unfortunately gotten the better of him and he had run out after Hibari after school. "Um…"

Hibari's already narrow eyes narrowed further.

"Um…" Tsuna fidgeted under his intense gaze. "I mean, I was just wondering…why do you care so much about I-pin's opinion?" He mumbled, staring at the very interesting concrete of the sidewalk. He had known of the Disciplinary Committee's President's respect of Reborn, the hitman would put up a great fight for Hibari after all, but couldn't make sense of his regard for I-pin. As far as he could recall, Hibari had only seen I-pin just as her Pinzu Time Bomb had started counting down.

It was an honest question asked purely out of curiosity, and he was already regretting it.

Hibari was silent for long enough for Tsuna to think he wouldn't answer, then, "Valentine's chocolates."

Tsuna could have face faulted. "W-what?"

Unfazed, Hibari continued, "the first."

What? It was Hibari-san's _first_ Valentine's Day chocolate? When "No-Good" Tsuna received zero, that was normal. But it shouldn't have been that way for Hibari.

"No way! Hibari-senpai should be getting many chocolates!" Tsuna blurted.

"Oh?" Hibari raised a questioning brow.

"I-I mean." Tsuna blushed and fidgeted some more. The concrete was exceptionally intriguing, with its little shiny specks that glinted in the sunlight. Nevermind that sharply outlined shadow that fell over them and his feet. "You're strong and aren't afraid to defend what you love and you're good loo-…" He trailed off staring at the shiny specks on the concrete far away from that silhouette.

He stared hard at that far away speck, waiting…

…waiting…

…waiting…

He braved a glance upward.

Hibari was staring at him.

He felt chills race up and down his spine a few times. He straightened up. "Excuse me. Sorry for asking, I'll be on my way now." He said stiffly and marched away.

"And what?" Hibari's cool voice cut through his growing panic and tiny hope of escape.

Tsuna came to an abrupt stop. He peeked up through his bangs once more and was greeted with steely eyes.

"And?" Again Hibari's voice pierced his self-aberration, this time brooking no argument.

"And you're…good…l-ook-…-ing…" Tsuna whispered hoarsely, each syllable becoming fainter until they were indistinguishable from the silence around them.

Close to tears, Tsuna looked up knowing that it was from some form of masochism that made him do so. Hibari was gonna kill him.

He could see it now. He'd barely have time to look up before he'd hear "I'll bite you to death for that you sick perv." Although that last part was questionable, he'd no doubt be seeing stars soon.

Yet Hibari was just peering at him with that steely and inscrutable gaze.

Feeling his face flush from something that couldn't be anything but embarrassment, Tsuna figured that nothing could possibly be worse than this; and the risk of escape was reasonable when he didn't mind dying.

The ground of him exploded and when the dust cleared, Tsuna was staring at tonfa.

Hibari calmly stood up, his tonfa disappearing into the sides of his jacket. He stared down Tsuna. "Say that one more time."

Tsuna wilted. Escape was not looking so good at the moment. The expression on Hibari's face promised much pain.

Trembling before Hibari's intense gaze, Tsuna had the unfortunate realization of how terrifying it was to have Hibari _focused_ on him. He remembered how even Reborn had admitted that Tsuna's "family" could use his strength. The attention of someone like that on him was nerve wracking.

"Again." Hibari was suddenly right in front of Tsuna, staring him down.

"And I admire you!" Tsuna all but shouted, his eyes pinched shut.

"Hm."

The sound was a neutral one, and that meant it wasn't a promise of imminent demise. Timidly, Tsuna slowly opened his eyes.

Hibari was staring at him, a bland look on his face. His head was tilted slightly in an nearly thoughtful gesture.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi." He said slowly, drawling out Tsuna's full name. It was strange and almost alien to hear. Hibari never said _anyone's_ name.

He gulped. "Yes?" He returned hesitantly.

Hibari leaned forward until their noses were close to touching, his steel eyes boring into Tsuna's.

"If that was the case, would you have any reason to look elsewhere?" The black-haired boy asked. Without waiting for an answer, he swept by suddenly and left, turning a corner and out of Tsuna's sight without once looking back.

Tsuna gaped.

What did _that_ mean? He shook his head. It couldn't mean what he thought it meant. He was just being stupid. The whole idea was stupid. Readjusting the strap on his bookbag, he set off for home in a quick trot. Reborn was no doubt waiting for him and he could not make the baby wait too long. Reborn's punishment for tardiness was remarkably similar to Hibari's, just more creative.

However, he couldn't shake the thought out of his head completely, and on his way home, if he caught a glimpse of a black school uniform out of the corner of his eye, he had to wonder, what did Hibari _really_ mean?

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_end_

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Short piece of flash fiction done in ten minutes. Fifteen with edits. I was working through my backlog of stuff and found this old self-prompt. Looking back, I can't believe that I wrote this way.

1827 is and always has been my favorite pairing, but 4427 is quickly coming up to claim that spot, if only it wasn't so _rare_. Some pairings just need more love. Don't forget to nurture rare pairings so they'll flourish and become more bountiful!


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